Sony MVC-CD400 Quick Preview

Pre-PMA 2002: Having just received a pre-production CD400 in the
last few days I haven't had time to put together a full review. Instead
I've put together a simple 'quick preview' article and some samples for
you to take a look at. The CD400 appears to be a very promising digital
camera for those who are looking for an alternative to flash storage.
It figures as an improved DSC-S85 with the 'CD Mavica' backend for storage
directly onto 8 cm CD-R or CD-RW.

Sony MVC-CD400 Quick Preview

"Chunky" would be a good word to describe the CD400. It's a
thick design with a wide and deep hand grip, which if you have big hands
like me is quite comfortable. At the front we find that F2.0 - F2.5 "Carl
Zeiss" lens behind which lurks the four megapixel sensor. Around
the back almost the entire rear of the camera is hinged, inside fits the
8 cm CD-R or CD-RW disc. The CD400 takes the almost infamous InfoLithium
NP-FM50 which fits diagonally into the base of the hand grip.

A DSC-S85 with a CD-R/RW drive?

Yes, but better. The CD400 does have all of the features of the excellent
DSC-S85 but also includes all of the 'current' improvements (multi-pattern
metering, new white balance) as well as selectable AF points, a flash
hot-shoe (a first for Sony) and the Holgram AF system from the F707. The
CD400 should definetly be viewed as one of Sony's premium cameras (if
you can handle its bulkiness).

Resolution

As we'd hoped the CD400 exhibits the same excellent resolution performance
as its older brother the DSC-S85. That means it's at the top of what we'd
expect from a consumer level four megapixel digital camera. Bear in mind
that this shot is from a pre-production camera and will be updated when
a production camera is made available.

Sample images

Note the samples below are from a pre-production MVC-CD400. Look out
for our full review of a production MVC-CD400 sometime in March or April.